SYNOPSICS
Little Darlings (1980) is a English movie. Ron Maxwell has directed this movie. Tatum O'Neal,Kristy McNichol,Armand Assante,Matt Dillon are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1980. Little Darlings (1980) is considered one of the best Comedy,Drama movie in India and around the world.
Fifteen year olds Ferris Whitney and Angel Bright meet when they attend the same summer camp and are assigned the bunks next to each other in the same cabin. It's hate at first sight as they are seemingly polar opposites: romantic and literate Ferris comes from a wealthy and thus privileged background, while streetwise and chain-smoking Angel is from the proverbial wrong side of the tracks. But they share one similarity: they are both virgins, the only ones of their age in their cabin. Due to pressure from their cabin mates, most specifically the aggressive Cinder Carlson, the two enter into a bet on who will lose their virginity first and by the end of the summer. Ferris, who initially seems more interested in the pursuit of the opposite sex, quickly sets her sights on Gary Callahan, the much older coach at the camp. But Angel finds her own target, namely Randy Adams, an equally streetwise boy attending the camp across the lake. The process becomes a bonding exercise for the two ...
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Little Darlings (1980) Reviews
I Have Never Forgotten This Movie!
I still remember the first time I saw this movie. It was a sneak preview with Steven Spielberg's occasionally funny comedy "1941." I still remember filling out my preview card rating Tatum O'Neal and Matt Dillon as "Very Good" but rating Kristy McNichol as "Excellent." At the time, I thought I would see the movie once and forget about it. I have seen the movie many, many times and I have never forgotten it. The late Gene Siskel said in his TV review of the movie that it was really two movies, a broad "Animal House" type comedy with food fights and condom jokes (which it is) and a very good coming of age story (which it is). When Matt Dillon was recently on the Bravo series "Inside the Actor's Studio," Dillon heard so many students say they liked this film, he actually said they ought to do a sequel. I hope they don't. I think he was really surprised to hear people praise this movie twenty years later. Some films stay with you and this is one of them. Interesting to see Cynthia Nixon on the HBO series "Sex And The City" after doing this project.
Should be shown in junior high schools - I wish it had been in mine
This film impressed me so much back then that I not only made all my friends and family see it, but I drove all the way to Georgia to see where it was filmed. It's not just about sex - it's about the two ways you can look at sex when approaching puberty. The wrong way - the Ferris Whitney way - is to romanticize it like Romeo and Juliette. The other wrong way -- Angel's way and the way I saw it at the time -- is to see it as something scary, invasive, animalistic, and biological which is approaching to seize you, engulf you, and reprogram you into a mindless reproduction-machine. Of the eight characters, only Angel discovers the truth: "God, it was so... PERSONAL, like you could see right through me". Sex turns out not to be storybook romance OR a tyrannical usurping of your body by the Forces of Evolution, but something very, very, very, very real, immediate... and YOU. In the boathouse, Angel discovers that sex is not something scary she is forced to be, but something wonderful she was always meant to be. In the words of the novel, "All the fear and uncertainty melted away as they kissed. Soon she didn't know who was touching whom, only that it was wonderful, and right, and fine. And the moon stared impenetrably through the window". Notice how "before", she's withdrawn, sarcastic, and hostile; and "after", she's relaxed and kind of at one with the world, like she's a part of it, instead of a stranger in it. In the very last scene, she hugs her mom -- something she NEVER would have done before -- saying "What's this crap about sex being nothing? You've been hanging around creeps!" This resonated very, very strongly with me at that age; I wanted that to happen to ME. And I don't mean getting laid. The movie was supposedly filmed in Madison, Georgia,at Hard Labor Creek state park. I was wondering if any evidence that a movie had been made would even still exist after two years. The first thing I came upon was a big sign over the road: "Camp Little Wolf". My God! All the sets and props were intact... and abandoned. Alone, I explored. I walked on the dock and sat on the swing. When night came, I slept in Cabin A, in the bed that Angel did. The next day, I jumped into the lake, hoping that this baptism would somehow cause the same ...transformation which happened to her: the transformation from child to adult. And finally, before leaving, I sat for hours in the boathouse, on the spot where "it" happened, just thinking. Did I like the film, "Little Darlings"? Yeah. Yeah, I did.
Must see
Wonderful funny teenage coming-of-age flick! A must see for viewers from 12 to 92! It's endearing and the acting is quite good for the age group of the cast. Matt Dillon's performance is stellar and he melts the hearts of all the women in the audience. Kristy McNichol and Tatum Oneal have a believable rivalry that ends in a moment that captures the true essence of teenage friendships. It's a great movie for parents to watch with their about to be teenage daughters, the sons may find it too cheesy. But give it a try. It's a classic flick that will hang around for many, many years to come. The scene where the girls go on a hunt for condoms is priceless! It's definitely a knee slapper. The next scene stealer would be gentle Sunshine who proves that even hippie tree hugging types have their limits. Go on out and pick up a copy. Rent it. You won't be sorry you did.
McNichol delivers great performance
This is the popular film and now cult classic from 1980 and yes, this is the first time I have viewed it! The story is a familiar one, two girls from opposite side of the tracks are involved in a bet while at summer camp and they wager who loses their virginity first. Kristy McNichol is Angel, a girl raised by her mother in a bad neighborhood who is very tough. You can tell she's tough because she chews gum and when she smokes she blows smoke in your face! Tatum O'Neal is Ferris, a rich girl who's father is divorcing her mother. At the camp the other girls all say they have lost their virginity but Ferris and Angel admit they have not. The girls get their money together and make them agree to the bet. Ferris has eyes on an older camp counselor named Gary (Armand Assante) while Angel meets Randy (Matt Dillon) one of the boys from the boys camp across the lake. The film starts out with the usual bitchy banter from the girls and of course there's a food fight in the dining area. The film is not well made but the acting by McNichol is just top notch. Film has that low budget look about it and its not shot with any creative camera angles. But one thing that the film does well is keep the camera on McNichols face, when you think that the shot is going to change angles it does not. The camera lingers on her and it allows McNichol to vary her expressions during some scenes that require a lot from her. Film also does a good job of having this familiar material be from the perspective of a young girl instead of a young man. This is not a great film, most of the characters are badly written and just cardboard characters but when its time for McNichol to lose her virginity then the film becomes a compelling study of a young girl trying to cope with her first time. Its a very mature performance and one that most actress's of her age would not have handled this impressively. McNichol could vary her emotions at the drop of a hat, one moment she has tears in her eyes and in the next instant she gives you that smile that changes the complexities of the whole scene. You can make a case that its one of the best performances of the 80's. She's that terrific! Its also fun to watch a young Krista Errickson (The First Time) and a very young Cynthia Nixon (Sex in the City). I'm at odds with myself, I don't think its a great film but its one that I just can't stop thinking about. Not hard to figure out why. Thanks Kristy!
Infamous 1980s teen sex film
Angel (Kristy McNichol) and Ferris (Tatum O'Neal) compete at summer camp to see who can lose their virginity first. O'Neal goes after hunky Armand Assante and McNichol goes after punk Matt Dillon. This was a huge hit with teenagers back in 1980 (despite the R rating). There's no nudity and sex is kept off-screen, but there is a huge amount of sex talk, swearing, the kids smoking and drinking beer and every possible sex joke you can think of. Despite all this, the film is actually not that sleazy and kind of fun. Some of the jokes are very funny and the subject of teen sex is dealt with intelligently and seriously. It's also amusing to see Dillon, O'Neal, McNicol and Assante so young...and look for a VERY young Cynthia Nixon as one of the kids! All the acting is pretty good--McNicol is VERY good--a very natural, believable performance. Good 80s soundtrack too. Worth catching.